


The Secrets that You Keep

by NextTrickAnvils



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Hilda appears very briefly in the end, Rhea is mentioned a lot, Romance before the S Support, Verdant Wind Spoilers, spoilers for claude's backstory, tiny bit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-03-05 09:40:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25468666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NextTrickAnvils/pseuds/NextTrickAnvils
Summary: “Claude, you had something else on your mind, didn’t you?”Of course. Can’t get anything past Teach, honestly that was just one of many things that made him fall for her.A worried expression crossed her face and Claude sighed.“There’s… there’s something very important that I need to tell you.”
Relationships: My Unit | Byleth/Claude von Riegan
Kudos: 68





	The Secrets that You Keep

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Day 5 of Claudeleth Week: Trust

Claude Von Riegan

It had been a good few years since he started going by the name and he’d long since gotten used to it. It was never like he viewed “Khalid” and “Claude” as two separate people...

...But…

Dammit this was so much easier when he barely knew the Deer…

...When Byleth Eisner was just his teacher…

...When she was just the wielder of the Sword of the Creator…

...When he wasn’t head over heels in love with her…

Claude could feel the ring he commissioned burning a hole in his pocket. He had planned to tell her everything and propose after they had defeated the Empire. 

But then they found Hubert’s note, and then the confrontation with whom Hubert referred to as “Those in Slither in the Dark,” and then came all of Rhea’s (or rather Seiros’) revelations, and then the Knights’ report, that NEMESIS of all people was leading an army towards the Monastery.

Now he stood in the war room with Byleth, the Deer, the Knights, and others, planning to take down a thousand year-old legend.

Claude glanced over at Byleth, he could recognize someone hiding their pain when he sees it. Honestly it must have been bad enough to discover that Rhea had been hiding her true identity all this time but also learning that Rhea never saw Byleth as a person, just a vessel to house Sothis’ soul.

_ Like how he initially saw Byleth as a means to an end. _

Looking back, Claude can’t help but mentally kick himself for not saying more at that moment. Sure he was overwhelmed with all the information but he still should have said something! At least call Rhea out on how she was ready to throw away Byleth’s life for what  _ she _ thought was the “greater good.”

_ “Someone like you wouldn’t understand. A true Almyran knows that sacrifices must be made for the greater good.” _

“Claude?”

Claude found himself snapped out of his thoughts and turned to the one calling out his name. 

It was Byleth.

“Are you alright? You seemed deep in thought.”

“Oh… I...”

He glanced over at the map and how the pieces were arranged, he quickly saw what Byleth was planning and was able to go from there.

After much time spent and strategies concocted, he and Byleth dismissed the War Council. However before he could leave the room, Byleth grabbed his wrist.

“Claude, you had something else on your mind, didn’t you?”

Of course. Can’t get anything past Teach, honestly that was just one of many things that made him fall for her.

A worried expression crossed her face and Claude sighed.

“There’s… there’s something very important that I need to tell you.”

There was no one else in the room but them. If he didn’t tell her now, he would never tell her at all.

...He just hopes she won’t see him like Rhea. A liar hiding their true identity.

“...The truth is… everything I told you about my past is not a lie but I still didn’t tell you everything… I told you before that I wasn’t born in Fodlan… the full truth is... I was born in Almyra.”

Claude wasn’t sure how Byleth was going to react… but he certainly wasn’t expecting an amused smile.

“I had my suspicions.”

“Wait? What?”

“You didn’t really think my father and I only ever took jobs in Fodlan did you? I can recognize some of the typical Almyran features in you. Not to mention the occasional Almyran swear you’d mutter under your breath. Also I somehow doubt that even as the leader of the Alliance, you could have convinced the Almyran Army to help us as reinforcements without some connection to the country.”

“Aw you really doubt my charm that much? I’m wounded, Teach.”

Byleth chuckled and shook her head, “Nevertheless, I can understand why you’d hide it and I apologize if I forced you to admit before you were ready to tell me.”

“No! You didn’t force me, I promise… this has been something weighing on me for a while now. I was planning on telling you after the attack on Enbarr but well... I couldn’t really find the time.”

“Well we finally found the time. I’m glad that you trust me enough to...”

“Actually Teach… there’s something else.”

Now it seemed that she was caught off-guard and Claude couldn’t help but worry if this would be what breaks their trust…

He still feels the ring in his pocket and it reminds him that he can’t keep lying to her.

“Do you remember when we first met the Ashen Wolves five years ago?”

“Claude?”

“...And Balthus realized who I was and I made a joke about how “Claude” is such a popular name in Fodlan, especially for fake names.”

Byleth’s eyes widened as she realized what he was getting at.

“So… what is your real name?”

“...Khalid.”

“Khalid...”

He suppressed a small shiver over hearing Byleth saying his true name. He looked at her, ready for anything. A look of confusion, disappointment, betrayal…

Except that same amused smile from before returned.

“Khalid… it suits you.”

“Eh… H-heh heh, I would hope so.” Khalid responded, not entirely sure how to react

Byleth stepped closer to him and before he could say anything, she pulled him into an embrace.

“Am I the first one you’ve told?”

“...Yes.” He hesitantly answered before returning the embrace

“After everything we’ve been through… I couldn’t… I didn’t want you to see me as someone like Rhea. Keeping secrets from you and lying about myself with every breath, all to gain your trust.”

Byleth looked up at Khalid with a serious but still somehow soft expression.

“I assure you that you and Rhea are nothing alike. Honestly I never truly felt comfortable around her. There was something about the way she spoke to me and treated me that I couldn’t figure out until now.. But you… you were always there when I needed someone.”

“...I can’t say that I always had the most altruistic of motives.”

“Yet there was still some sincerity there. No matter how you tried to hide it. You are so much more than just a “schemer” and I consider you, my most trusted friend.”

Khalid stared at her, feeling like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders…

...Which is probably why he began to lean towards Byleth. 

Closer and closer until Byleth closed the gap and the two shared a kiss.

For the first time in a long time… Khalid felt safe. 

He felt like he didn’t have to take on the world by himself as he always thought.

“Oh, Professor, there’s one more thing that Lor… enz… wanted to… say...”

The two immediately broke their kiss and looked over at the surprised Hilda in the doorway.

“...Hilda...” Byleth said in a tone that Khalid was far too familiar with during their Academy days

Hilda just grinned and ran off.

“And we just became tonight’s dinner gossip.” Khalid remarked

Byleth let out a long suffering sigh.

“At the very least, she only saw the kiss. So your secrets are still safe with me. I promise I won’t reveal your heritage or your real name in front of everyone else.”

“Thanks… Byleth.”

With that, Byleth began to walk towards the room’s exit.

“Wait, Byleth!”

“Hm? Is there something else, Khalid?”

Once again the ring in his pocket felt like lead but… something in him tells him that after all that, the time wasn’t right. So instead, he gives her a small smirk.

“You could say that… but I think I’ll save it for after our last battle. Makes for a good motivator to stay alive don’t you think?”

“Oh so you don’t trust that I can pull us through this without motivation?”

“On the contrary, I’m saving this last confession because I trust you to lead us to victory.”

Byleth responded with her own smirk.

“I look forward to it then.”

**Author's Note:**

> Ya'll can find me on Tumblr @ https://nexttrickanvils.tumblr.com/ and Twitter @ https://twitter.com/NextTrickAnvils


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